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Thailand

In July 2019, Thailand’s ruler, Maha Vajiralongkorn, created a stir when he made Sineenat, a royal guard and former nurse, his “royal noble consort”. It was the first time the title, akin to that of an official mistress, was being used in close to a century. Three months later, the palace announced that Sineenat was stripped of all ranks because she had tried to supplant the queen, the king’s fourth wife. Sineenat then vanished from the public eye only to be reinstated in mid-2020, soon after which hundreds of explicit photos of her were leaked, in what was interpreted as a power struggle in the Thai palace. Controversial stories around the Thai ruler, once photographed in Munich in a crop top and tattoo sleeve, are legion but Thailand’s citizens can’t discuss any of this openly.

The reason? A law which punishes any public criticism of its royals with imprisonment.

Brunei

Tales of Brunei’s prince Jefri Bolkiah are numerous — including salacious stories of his “harem”. He has, for instance, been sued by a former US model over charges that he used her as a “sex slave”. He was also accused by his brother of embezzling $15 billion from the Brunei Investment Agency which resulted in a protracted legal battle that played out in the UK courts. A settlement was finally reached according to which he promised to turn over assets that included 600 properties, over 2,000 cars, over 100 paintings and 9 aircraft.

Sweden

Till 2010, the Swedish royal family had enjoyed a flawless reputation for respectability. But that was blown apart by a tell-all book, The Reluctant Monarch, which portrayed the king, Carl XVI Gustav, as a philanderer who took part in numerous sex parties and frequented strip clubs. The Scandinavian nation erupted in uproar over the book, which also alleged that Sweden’s secret police, Sapo, was involved in concealing the monarch’s unsavoury activities.

Saudi Arabia

In November 2017, close to 400 of the most wealthy and powerful people in Saudi Arabia were rounded up and confi ned in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the most contentious purge of its kind in the kingdom. It was carried out at the behest of the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who alleged that they were guilty of corruption. Saudi offi cials said over $100 billion was recovered from them and returned to the treasury before they were released.

Dubai

In 2018, Princess Latifa, daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, tried to flee the country. She was allegedly caught off the coast of Goa and brought back. She had since sent secret video messages where she said she was being held hostage. For a while, the secret messages stopped, sparking concern about her well-being, though the Dubai government officially said she was safe. Two decades ago, her sister, Princess Shamsa, had unsuccessfully tried to escape while in the UK in 2000. She has not been seen in public since.

Denmark

The Danish are very fond of their royal family. Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Mary are called the “bicycling royals” for cycling to pick up their kids, and some 70% Danes support the monarchy. So the country was taken aback when, in an interview to a journalist, Princess Marie, wife of Frederik’s younger brother, indicated that she and her husband had more or less been exiled to France by the royal family. Historians viewed this as the outcome of an internal power struggle which the younger sibling lost.

Nepal

On June 1, 2001, the world was horrifi ed by a massacre in the Himalayan kingdom. The crown prince, Dipendra, went on a murderous rampage, killing nine members of the royal family, including his parents, the king and the queen, before using his gun to kill himself. The mass shooting of the royal family at the Narayanhity Palace and the uproar it caused, laid the ground for the eventual abolition of monarchy in Nepal.

Spain

In March 2020, in an unprecedented move, Spain’s king, Felipe, gave up his personal inheritance and stripped his father and former king, Juan Carlos, of his annual stipend, following allegations that the son would benefit from an offshore fund, set up by the father, with links to Saudi Arabia. A supreme court probe was also launched into his role in a multi-billion dollar deal for a high-speed rail line in Saudi Arabia won by a Spanish company. Carlos announced in August 2020 that he would be going into exile abroad to save his son, the current king, further embarrassment.


(Text Sources: Vanity Fair, BBC, CNN, The Independent)